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'ARCH'-Aristeia II 2014-2015

The ARCH-Aristeia II: Archival Research & Cultural Heritage Project (2014-2015) was co-funded by the European Social Fund and national resources through the Operational Programme “Education and Lifelong Learning” (NSRF 2007-2013).

ARCH - Archival Research and Cultural Heritage: The Theatre Archive of Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio

Academic supervisor: Professor of Anna Tabaki.

Main Research Team: Professor Anna Tabaki (project leader)

Principal investigators: Eleni Papalexiou, Avra Xepapadakou, Dio Kangelari, Io Manolessou

Documentation team (in alphabetical order): Villy Charalampopoulou, Paraskevi Damala, Giorgos Dermitzoglou, Dimitra Dimitrakopoulou, Stavroula Kapsalaki, Marilena Karatasou, Aphrodite Karmiri, Elpida Komianou, Dimitrios Livadias, Marilou Nikolaou, Louisa Nikolaou, Anastos Stasinopoulos, Stavrina Stekoglou, Panagiota Xydi

Specialists: Valia Vraka (head of documentation, archivist); Athanasios Chatzis (web and database developer); Natalia Katifori (communication and PR co-ordinator); Ulee Manolakou (visual artist, web designer); Stathis Athanasiou (film director), Giorgos Theodorou

Volonteers: Eva Barka, Michael Cancelmi,Paraskevi Damala, Assimina Xyla

The research project “Archival Research and Cultural Heritage: The Archive of Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio”, under the acronym ARCH (Archival Research & Cultural Heritage), forms part of the of the European Union-funded action “Aristeia II”. Hosted by the University of Athens, the ARCH project was then implemented by a research team of twenty-four participants. The team comprised lecturers, researchers, graduate and undergraduate students from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of the Peloponnese, University of Crete, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Academy of Athens and the Harokopion University. Experts in the fields of archival and library sciences, informatics, communication, visual design and audio-visual arts assisted them as external collaborators. Academic supervisor of the project: Anna Tabaki, Professor of Theatre Studies – History of theatre (18th – 19th c.), Dept. of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The research project ARCH runs in Italy, Greece and other European countries. It aims to conduct primary research in the field of theatre genetics and cultural documentation, focusing on the artistic work of the Italian theatre company Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio, a world-leading theatre company. Research on the artistic oeuvre of the company is oriented along two axes: a. comprehensive study and analysis of invaluable primary materials, and b. the organizational tasks required for the documentation, digitization and diffusion of those materials belonging to one of the most important European cultural archives.

The archive of is kept at the Italian city of Cesena, at the Comandini Theatre, where the Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio is based. The archive’s rare documentation material has drawn international attention from researchers, teachers and artists. It testifies to the artistic activity of the theatre group from its establishment in the 80s until today: hundreds of boxes hold the history of contemporary theatre in the form of theoretical papers and academic texts as well as extremely important manifestos, along with primary material from theatrical performances, such as scenarios, posters, notebooks, programs, theatrical reviews, interviews, publications, calendars, correspondence, photos, sound material and videos in analog or digital form.

More information: https:// www.arch-uoa.com

https://www.facebook.com/ArchivalResearchAndCulturalHeritage?fref=ts

PYTHAGORAS I

Research Project on Greek Theatrical Bibliography

Scientific Responsible: Walter Puchner, Professor

Scientific Committee: Chrysothemis Stamatopoulou-Vasilakou, Associate Professor, George P. Pefanis, Lecturer

Research group: Helen Goulis, Ilia Lakidou, Alexia Altouva, post graduate students (PhD) and Irini Moundraki, Constantina Stamatoyannaki, theatrologists, Master’s degree, doctoral students.

The “Research project on Greek Theatrical Bibliography 1900-2005: Sources and scientific studies” aims at tracing, registration and evaluation of all scientific sources, books, studies and articles written in Greek language on modern Greek and world theatre, as well as of unpublished doctoral theses submitted to Theatre Studies, Fine Arts and Philology Departments of Greek or foreign Universities, provided that they study issues of Greek theatrology. Are also included bibliographies and magazine features. Beyond Greek bibliography, the project examines foreign bibliography on issues of Greek theatrology studies. Publications in daily newspapers, in theatre play-bills and populist articles are excluded.

Due to the immensity of the material, the bibliography is divided in the following five sections:

  1. General modern Greek theatrical history and bibliography, b. chronological classification of modern Greek theatre, c. thematic classification, d. general history of foreign theatre and bibliography in Greek language, e. studies on foreign theatre.

The generally recognized state-of-the-art international bibliographical standard ISO 690, was chosen for the form of the bibliographical entries.

The data base was created in Microsoft Access digital environment. Every entry includes the following description fields: thematic category, edition-publication date, publication type (self-inclusive edition, journal article, contribution in collective volume), writer, editor, translator, title-subtitle, edition or publication assets, judgments, remarks, researcher’s full name, text category (study, essay, testimony).

The research produced an inventory of 753 self-inclusive editions and an index of 531 Mélanges leading to 3.622 new entries. The indexing of 255 magazine titles produced 7.267 new entries. Final result: The data base currently includes 11.642 entries. A part of the collected bibliographical material is published in scientific journals.

The research group was mainly faced with the Greek Libraries operating conditions, but also with methodological questions emerging from the very nature of the bibliographical material and the necessity of its scientific classification.

Given the lack of general and specific bibliography in our country, the above completed bibliography constitutes an important knowledge and research tool for undergraduates and postgraduates, doctoral students, theatre scholars, neo-Hellenists etc. The research selects 10.889 entries of articles and studies from a great amount of journals and selected volumes (786), impossible to trace in the existing bibliographies and the automated library catalogues in the internet (Zephyros etc.), containing only self-inclusive editions.

Cultural transfer and ‘national character’ in nineteenth century Greek periodicals

(Acronym: Chrysallis)

Project duration: 01.02.2012-30.11.2015 (46 months)

Research coordinator: Anna Tabaki, Professor of Theatre Studies – History of theatre (18th – 19th c.), Dept. of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens/Guest researcher NHRF

Project site:http://www.chrisalis.eu/index.php/en/

Project description

The nineteenth century marks a period of intense ideological and cultural contestation as well as socio-political fermentation which are inextricably connected with the formation and the consolidation of a national identity crucial to the self-definition of the newly-constituted Greek state. This latter process involved: a stronger identification with the ancient Greek past, a mid-nineteenth-century attempt at inscribing Byzantium in Greek national genealogies, the promotion of a Greco-Christian ideal suggesting the uninterrupted continuity of the Greek nation, and an ambivalent attitude toward the West (an Enlightenment-driven demand for catching up with Europe alongside the opposite demand of a national purity, free from Western influences). A significant part of such pursuits and inquiries is inscribed in the flourishing periodical press of the time. The variety of periodical publications (general interest magazines, literary journals and/or family magazines) and their thematic breadth allow access to the collective consciousness of the period as these publications addressed themselves to a wide range of lay people, in contrast to the more scholarly readership of books. The ideological and aesthetic trends inscribed in the periodical material played a significant part in the formation of the corpus and character of modern Greek Letters, also marking its relation to ‘otherness’. The articles and the essays contained in these periodicals enhance the demand for the formation of a ‘national literature’ by contributing to their contemporary debates around the influence of imported literary products and currents, helleno-centricism, the language question, and the revival of ancient prosody.

Even though there are significant studies of the periodical press, only a small number of periodicals has been fully indexed and qualitatively studied and assessed.

The project is divided into the following three parts, undertaken by three research groups:

  1. Cultural interchanges: literary genres, aesthetic and ideological trends

Research coordinators:

Nassos Vagenas, Emeritus Professor of Literary Theory and Criticism, Dept. of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Head of the 1st research team

Euripides Garantoudis, Professor of Modern Greek Literature, Dept. of Philology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Sofia Denissi, Associate Professor of Literary History and Criticism, Dept. of Theory and History of Art, Athens School of Fine Arts

Despina Provata, Associate Professor of History of French Civilization, Dept. of French Language and Literature, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Georgia Gotsi, Associate Professor of Modern Greek and Comparative Literature, Dept. of Philology, University of Patras (2014-2015)

Stessi Athini, Assistant Professor of Modern Greek Literature, Dept. of Philology, University of Patras

Even though there are significant studies of the periodical press, only a small number of periodicals has been fully indexed and qualitatively studied and assessed. The first research group will create a data-base common to all three groups of the proposed project with the aim of recording all the (original and translated) material published in the selected periodicals and the references to writers, texts, literary genres it contains. While processing such material, the group will focus on the ways in which certain ideological and aesthetic trends are received, revived or survive through time. The research group will also focus on the identification of the terms contributing to the definition of the different literary genres (lyric poetry, novels, short stories, chronicles, literary criticism, historical narratives, historiography, historical or fictional biography, etc).

  1. II. The reception of theatre genres (authors, ideological and aesthetic currents, drama theory): poetic theatre, prose theatre and music theatre

 

Chrysothemis Stamatopoulou-Vasilakou:  Gogo Varzelioti:  Professor of Theatre Studies - History and Bibliography of Modern Greek Theatre, Dept. of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens - Head of the 2nd research team.  Baroque theatre, Dept. of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Alexia Altouva:  Lecturer of Theatre Studies – History and Theory of Acting, Dept. of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens 
 Avra Xepapadakou: Lecturer of Theatre Studies, Dept. of Philology – Division of Theatre and Music Studies, University of Crete

The second research group will focus on poetic theatre, prose theatre and music theatre. It will collect, record, analyse and evaluate works pertaining to theatre writing and performance as they appear in nineteenth-century periodicals. The research group aims to a) study the dramatic genres (poetic and prose theatre: national drama, tragedy, multi-actcomedy, one-act comedy, noveldrama, realistic drama, satirical dialogues, lyric theatre: opera, operetta, vaudeville, variety show/revue) in Greek and foreign dramaturgy, b) deploy any kind of factual material resulting from news texts, biographies of writers and performers, commenting and critique of playwrights and performances and c) explore the complex process of reception, critical assessment and selective appropriation of linguistic, ideological, stylistic and other cultural elements pertaining to all the genres of foreign and ancient Greek drama, the laterbeing of great importance for the crystallization of “national drama” theory.

  1. Cross-cultural relations and transfers: National literature between the foreign and the local

Alexandra Lianeri: Assistant Professor of Classics – Theory of translation of Ancient Greek Literature, Dept. of Philology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki - Head of the 3rd research team. 

George Varsos: Assistant Professor of Translation Studies, Dept. of French Language and Literature, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Katerina Karakasi: Assistant Professor, Dept. of German Language and Literature, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Angeliki Spyropoulou: Assistant Professor of European Literature and Theory, Dept. of Theatre Studies, University of Peloponnese

George Vlahakis: Assistant Professor of History of Science, Hellenic Open University (2014-2015)

Anna Tabaki: Professor of Theatre Studies – History of theatre (18th – 19th c.), Dept. of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

The third group will seek to study and codify theoretical conceptions of cross-cultural relations and transfers, as they are formulated in critical writing, either original or translated, published in nineteenth-century periodicals. The project will explore how the idea of the foreign constitutes a key frame for the constitution of ‘national’ literature and the multiple forms of identity (i.e. national, European, Balkan, and so on) are inscribed in literary writing. National literature will not, therefore, be approached as a closed tradition, but as a continuous juxtaposition of the foreign and the local, in the context of which the limits of the nation remain flexible and contested. The project aims to explore how critical writing constructs the idea and practice of national literature and writing as privileged fields for debating those limits.

Scientific collaborators:

Aikaterinini Diakoumopoulou-Zarabouka: Dr. of Theatre Studies, Adjunct Lecturer, University of Macedonia (2nd research group)

Elena Papalexiou: Dr. of Theatre Studies (Paris IV-Sorbonne), Lecturer, Dept. of Theatre Studies, University of Peloponnese (2012-2014) (2nd research group)

Maria Spyridopoulou: Dr. of Comparative Literature, Translation Studies expert, Teaching Staff, Dept. of Theatre Studies, University of Peloponnese (3nd research group)

Invited researcher:

Alkistis Sofou: Maître de Conférences of Modern Greek, Neohellenic Institute, Paris IV-Sorbonne

Also participating twenty (20) Phd and Master candidates from the University of Athens, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the University of Patras, the Ionian University and the University of Crete.

PYTHAGORAS I

Performance Records and Documentation of Ancient Greek Drama in Greece –

Digitization of relevant audio-visual data

Scientific responsible: Platon Mavromoustakos, Professor, Depart. of Theatre Studies,National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Research group: Agni Mouzenidou, Assistant Professor (†), Evanthia Stefani, Assistant Professor, Grigoris Ioannidis, Lecturer, Ioanna Remediaki, Phd on Theatrology, Aggeliki Zachou, doctoral student, George Karakitsos, Phd of Informatics.

The project aims to create a database of all Ancient Drama Greek performances, following scientifically approved documentation and computerization standards for registration, collection and preservation of the relevant audio-visual data. More specifically, the project is principally concerned with:

  • Database design and development of applications for communication with other data bases.
  • Digitization of material related to the performances, and mainly of the audio-visual material.
  • Research for supplementing the existing archive of performances for the period 1992-2002, formerly established by the research group.
  • Control and documentation of the existing archive of performances until 1992.
  • Edition of relevant performance records.

Project promoter is the Ancient Drama and Theatre Research Laboratory (ADTRL), founded by Department of Theatre Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The completed project achieved to:

  • Complete the Archive of Ancient Drama Performances of the Ancient Drama and Theatre Research Laboratory with performances of the period 1992-2002.
  • Control the data of Ancient Drama Performances of the Ancient Drama and Theatre Research Laboratory for previous performances.
  • Documenting an electronic database in accordance with strict methodological standards that have been formed during the cooperation between ADTRL and collaborators from all around Europe. From this cooperation has resulted an important agreement concerning the standardization terms for electronic archives.
  • Computerization-digitization of the existing archives relevant to performances.
  • Communication of information for future publications (mainly electronic)

Throughout the above activities, the project aims at:

  • Creating the potential for deeper understanding of ancient Greek drama for Greek as well as for foreign public.
  • Demonstrating the great significance of ancient Greek drama for modern Europe.
  • Promoting electronic products addressing to the Greek public in order to achieve a deeper knowledge of Greek ancient drama performance issues.

PYTHAGORAS II

“Semele” Ancient Theatre Database

Scientific responsible: Savvas Gogos, Professor of the Department of Theatre Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Research group: Anna Tabaki, Professor, Aikaterini Diamantakou, Assistant Professor, Varvara Georgopoulou, Alexia Altouva, Phd. Depart. of Theatre Studies, Panagiota Pramandioti, Maria-Dimitra Karali, Sofia Alexiadou, Olga Mavroidi, Evangelia Mimidou, under-graduate students Depart. of Theatre Studies.

The project of Ancient Theatre Databaseis part of the Department of Theatre Studies research activities, since the academic year 2004-2005, and was conducted within the framework of the research program Pythagoras II with co-financing from the European Social Fund and National Resources.

“Semele”, as was named the project by the scientific team members, aimed at the systematic registration and information management related to ancient theatre, in terms of archeology, literature and bibliography. The project adopts a global approach of ancient theatre as architectural expression, theatrical practice, literary production and cultural activity, not only within Greece but also in the greater geographical territory of ancient Greek-speaking world.

According to the preset goals of “Semele”, organization and archiving of data to be entered follow specifically designed standards based on three general thematic axes: a) architectural heritage monuments b) painting monuments and c) sculpture monuments.

The system implementation is based on a central database, where all data are stocked, and on the management application providing access to all its users in the internet. The input information system consists of a special card (“card of architecture”, “card of sculpture”, “card of painting”). Every Card, corresponding to a specific monument of a specific Module and a specific Type or Kind (i.e. monument of painting, that belongs to the specific type of angiography and to the kind of tragedy), includes: a) a general description of the monument in question, b) a varying number of slides-photos related to the monument in question, either as its visual representations (i.e. in the case of Theatres) either representing different theatrical monuments, related however thematically to the monument generally described (i.e. different Idols of New Comedy actors or different angiographic representations of a concrete tragedy, i.e. Aeschylus Choefori), c) each card allows to associate the theatrical monument with an index of written sources and d) bibliography, monographies or scientific articles are entered into the system as special cards.

Aside from the unstructured information, namely the representation of the source itself (text, slides, sources, bibliography), the data input and management system also supports constructed information, namely material description by the use of glossaries. The combining research subsystem offers the possibility of multi-criteria researches.

KAPODISTRIAS

Research projects funded by the University of Athens Research Committee (1990-2010)

1993-1995

Project title: “San Giakomo’s theatre and theatrical activity in Corfu”

Scientific Responsible: Platon Mavromoustakos

1995-1997

Project title: “Belgian theatre:1880-1960”

Scientific Responsible: Chara Bakonicola-Georgopoulou

Project title: “Greek bibliography of one-act plays of the 19th century”

Scientific Responsible: Chrysothemis Stamatopoulou-Vasilakou

1997

Project title: “Edition of the post-byzantine archive collection in Patmos Monastery Library”

Scientific Responsible: Chrysa Maltezou

1997-1998

Project title: “Retrieving Andrea’s Calvos latent texts”

Scientific Responsible: Nasos Vagenas

Project title: “Greek bibliography of one-act plays of the 20th century”

Scientific Responsible: Chrysothemis Stamatopoulou-Vasilakou

1997-1999

Project title: “Greek bibliography of the central historical building of the University of Athens: 1839-1864”

Scientific Responsible: Eleni Fessa-Emmanouil

Project title: “Greek bibliography of two historical buildings of the University of Athens: the University Club (architect: Alex. Nikoloudis, 1926) and the Medical School building complex in Goudi (architect: Emm. Kriezis, 1929-1934)”

Scientific Responsible: Eleni Fessa-Emmanouil

1999-2000

Project title: “Bibliography of the buildings of the University of Athens in the Zografou University Campus”

Scientific Responsible: Eleni Fessa-Emmanouil

Project title: “The Greek theatre in Asia minor till 1922 with an emphasis in Smyrne”

Scientific Responsible: Chrysothemis Stamatopoulou-Vasilakou

2000-2001

Project title: “Greek ballade before Vizyinos”

Scientific Responsible: Nasos Vagenas

2002-2004

Project title: “Handwritten translations of Enlightenment and cultural renewal”

Scientific Responsible: Anna Tabaki

2003-2007

Project title: “Greek bibliography of the acting art and the actors”

Scientific Responsible: Agni Mouzenidou

2004-2005

Project title: “Handwritten theatre satire during Enlightenment: tracing the sources”

Scientific Responsible: Anna Tabaki

2005-2006

Project title: “Revue during the Dictatorship (1967-1974)”

Scientific Responsible: Kostantza Georgakaki

Project title: “Greek bibliography of theatrical plays: 1900 – 1940”

Scientific Responsible: Chrysothemis Stamatopoulou-Vasilakou

2006-2007

Project title: “Don Quichote in modern Greek cultural life: first perception. Study and edition of the first known Greek translation of the work of Cervantes (third decade of the 18th century)”

Scientific Responsible: Anna Tabaki

2006-2008

Project title: “The prose theatre during the Dictatorship (1967-1974)”

Scientific Responsible: Kostantza Georgakaki

2007-2009

Project title: “Greek actors and their activities as writers”

Scientific Responsible: Chrysothemis Stamatopoulou-Vasilakou

2009-2010

Project title: “European playwrights’ works about theory”

Scientific Responsible: Sofia Felopoulou

Project title: “Transformations of ancient Greek drama in the ancient-themed modern Greek drama οf the period 1974-2010”

Scientific Responsible: Kaiti Diamantakou

Project title: “Foreign theatrical troupes in Greece (1950-2000)”

Scientific Responsible: Kostantza Georgakaki

Project title: “Issues of memory and genders in contemporary Greek dramaturgy”

Scientific Responsible: George Pefanis